Painted spiny lobster
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- Name / Latin
- Painted spiny lobster — Panulirus versicolor
- Brief description
- The painted spiny lobster (also known as the blue-spotted or multicoloured lobster) is a spiny lobster that lives on coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific. By day it hides in crevices and under reef overhangs and is mainly active at night. It grows to 40 cm in length but is usually seen at about 30 cm. Coloration is white, pink and black with horizontal bands and a net-like pattern; the legs are dark with white bands and the long antennae are often whitish.
- Size:
- up to 30–40 cm
- Depth:
- 1–18 m
- Habitat:
- Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Red Sea
- Family:
- Palinuridae
- Type:
- Crustaceans
- Activity:
- Nocturnal
- Conservation status:
- Least Concern (LC) — not threatened with extinction according to IUCN assessment
The painted spiny lobster is a species of spiny lobster that lives on tropical reefs in the Indo-Pacific. Other names include painted rock lobster, bamboo lobster, blue lobster and blue spiny lobster.
The painted spiny lobster grows to 40 cm in length but usually does not exceed 30 cm. It has no claws, two spiny rostra above the eyes and two pairs of large antennae, like all spiny lobsters. The first pair of antennae has a double tip; the second is stiff and spiny. Both antennae are usually white. The body is made of chitin, very hard and not stretchy. Coloration is white, pink and black with horizontal bands and a net-like pattern. The abdomen is green with black and white cross bands. The legs are dark blue to black with white bands, and the tail is blue-green. The tail has five yellowish appendages, yellowish at the base with a blue tip and white edge.
Breeding usually takes place in summer but can occur year-round. Mating is belly to belly after a courtship display. The spermatophore released by the male sticks to the female’s sternum for several weeks. Females carry the eggs — several hundred thousand — under the abdomen. This is followed by a long larval phase in the ocean with several moults. These lobsters are nocturnal and solitary. By day they hide in small caves and crevices in the reef or under coral. They are carnivorous and feed on carrion as well as freshly caught arthropods, other crustaceans and sometimes small fish.
